How To Capture A Social Influencer's Attention for Your Business

     We cannot deny how incredibly important social media has become in today's business world. Brands are built with more social media work these days. Unfortunately, if you are a small player or a startup, getting the attention of people on social media can prove to be a herculean task.
 It is at this point that you need to focus on getting the attention of a social influencer just so you can leverage on their already established popularity. It is not as easy as it sounds but with the steps written here, you wont find it as hard as most people do.

Influence

Social media influencers can help kick start a business or build a brand with something as simple as a recommendation. They can net you some followers and set you up for future opportunities.

Anyone that has attempted this strategy will know that it is not exactly straight forward as these influencers have more followers than they'll probably ever meet and their attention is hard to come by. 

Here are a couple of tried and proven steps to help your 'attention seeking'. 
 

1. Sometimes, settle for less

less

I know what you have been told in the past sounds nothing like this. In this case however, settling for less may just be your best option. When you are just starting out, it would be almost impossible to get the attention of the big players  in your field because your message would be just one out of the thousands they get to see everyday. This is where settling for less becomes your ally. Look for influencers with a number of followers that can build your business but not so much followers that you are just one out of one million voices. settle for less!

2. Be you, Be unique:

You know what's worse than being one voice out of a million others? Its being one voice out of a million others and sounding exactly like them. You will never get heard! What makes you unique? What makes you stand out? Why would someone be interested in listening to you? If you fail to stand out , influencers will dismiss you as being the same or worse than the rest. Firstly, optimize your profile by showing off your selling point, your niche, and work on creating unique content.

Influencers will do background checks on you and your products before engaging you and  recommending because with every recommendation, their own reputation  is at stake.

When the time finally comes to directly address this influencer, make sure to show off your unique selling point. Draw upon your personality and and give a proposition that will wow the influencer.

3. Dont be quick to ask:

We know, we know, opportunities don't come easy, i swear, we know. But getting the attention of a social media influencer has a bit of similarity with wooing. Rule 1: DONT ASK IMMEDIATELY. It is every kind of wrong to start with a big request first, instead, start with social media networking. Start with interacting and engaging the influencer in a helpful and/or playful way. In the initial stages, observe how this influencer interacts with others. Get to know the person. Once you have known this person to a reasonable extent, you will know the best way to get a response from the person. You can now begin subtle attempts to get this much sought after attention. A simple retweet or share will do the trick. Regular helpful comments will also do you a lot of good.

4. Dont be annoying

Influencers are busy people, I repeat, Influencers are busy people. Read it again, twice!. It is impossible for them to respond to every request they get. The moment you understand these facts, you will be less demanding of attention, less likely to show disrespect for the value of their time, less annoying and more likely to gain their respect and admiration.

5. Give so you can receive

Influencers are not Non Profit Organisations. It is not right for you to begin by asking for a favour. It is almost certain that you'll immediately lose the attention that you have toiled to get. So, instead of leading with a request, lead with some contribution of value.
What’s important to this influencer? What will get his or her attention? For example, this provision of value could be as simple as sharing one of this person's most recent pieces, or giving a strong counterpoint that boosts its visibility.



6. Rejection happens, Deal with it

So you've put in the hardwork to get the attention of this person, and eventually your request gets rejected, we know, some people deserve to burn. There is only one simple solution: Move on to another influencer, it is that easy. You may not necessarily get a response from the first five, first dozen even,just keep going until you get an answer.



In theory, and practical, these steps actually work. Unfortunately,some people struggle with it. If you find yourself struggling, try other methods to boost your reputation until you are on a similar level with your influencer or close to it. It is easier to network with peers.